Like many of you I was shocked and saddened to hear that one of my favorite artists, Prince, passed away suddenly on Thursday. As a huge music fan and a lover of unbridled creativity in all its wonderful forms, losing Prince feels like someone turned down the lights a little on our world.

I've loved Prince's music since his "Little Red Corvette" days in the early 80s. One of the things that always most fascinated me about him was that he taught himself to play the piano (at age 7), the guitar (at age 13) and the drums (at 14). As a young person he gave me hope that I could teach myself to succeed creatively.

If you've followed my work over the years you know that I try not let the world intrude into my gallery. I've always wanted DB to be a place to escape the pains of real life. This is an exception.

I was working on this render when I heard the news Thursday and I immediately started adapting it to become a tribute to his genius. I hope you enjoy it.